Here’s the question on everyone’s minds…

I had a bad case of road rash about a month ago and several of my buddies suggested shaving em. How far up your body do you recommend shaving? I was taping bandages together way up my right butt cheek.

Sincerely,
Cheeky

You are not alone Cheeky. I would bet this question is on everyone’s minds when they consider shaving their legs.

The short answer is, shave everything. But there’s more to it than that, and it really depends why you are shaving your legs in the first place…

If you are shaving mainly to ease the treatment of road rash, then you should go the whole way up your legs. After your knee, your hip/butt region is going to be the worst area for road rash (in most cases.) So it’s kind of pointless to shave your lower legs but not your hips.

One possibility, if you don’t like to shave, is to get the trimmers out. For areas that are covered by your shorts and not likely to get a severe case of road rash, trimming is fine.

If you want massages to feel good, again, shave everything. Your calves, quads, and hamstrings should be nice and smooth. (So in this case, trimming is not such a good idea.)

If your only goal is to look good in your cycling kit, then you can shave your lower legs (up to your tan line) and let the rest go. You’ll look pretty funny without your shorts on, though!

Just remember that your long hairs might stick through your shorts, which would require at least a trim.

Finally, if you’re worried about ticks, shave your whole body. Ticks like to crawl everywhere, so the less hair they have to hide in, the better.

Just remember, whatever region you shave once, you’ll probably want to keep shaving it, because stubble is no fun.

With my beloved Bontrager saddle starting to wear thin (it was the cheap one that came on my Trek, but man I liked that saddle,) it was time to part with some serious cash to find something new that fit my needs (and my sit bones.)

Having used numerous WTB saddles on my mountain bikes with great success, I thought the minimalist WTB Shadow V Stealth might be a good idea for my road bike.

The Shadow V was a bit smaller and had less padding than the others, but you could still tell it was a WTB. Plus, the silver leather was a perfect match for the silver accents on my Trek.

Not only is this constructed with premium leather, it has lightweight titanium rails and fancy sections of carbon fiber. It gets an A+ in the looks department!

It also retains the “Comfort Zone” where a section of the saddle’s hard shell is removed and replaced with foam.

The price wasn’t bad, either. It’s listed at $110 (in line with most leather road saddles,) but I grabbed it on sale for $55 at Performance Bike.

Unfortunately, the similarities disappear when you sit down on this thing. This saddle is NOT plush like the other WTB saddles I use (the Rocket V, Laser V, and Speed V.) It feels like your typical, ‘hard as a rock’ road saddle.

That being said, this is a bit more comfortable for me than the Selle Italia XO and some of the cheaper Flites I’ve tried.

The good news is that the Shadow V does remain semi-comfortable for hours on end. Plush saddles usually feel good for 30-60 minutes, and then become horribly uncomfortable. This one takes a few minutes at the beginning of each ride to get past the lack of comfort, but after that, it feels decent for longer rides.

One other thing… this saddle is meant for speed.

On harder rides, even when seated, more of your weight is resting on the pedals. By maintaining constant pressure on the pedals, you take a bit of weight off your seat. If you are pedaling slowly and easily, your weight is all going to be directed to your butt, pushing it into the seat, making things even less comfortable.

If you go for a slow recovery ride on this seat, you’ll notice the difference!

Racing is another use for this seat. Sometimes I ride a plush WTB on my road bike if I’m just looking for comfort, but that slows me down. Why? I sink down into it.

On the firm Shadow V, you have a great platform to push against. That means you can transfer more power to the pedals. There’s no “squish” that could rob your power.

So it’s definitely a racing saddle, not a comfort saddle. However, with the right shorts, this thing doesn’t hurt that bad…

Sometimes it does, though, which is the weird thing. It might feel like it’s jabbing right into my behind. No matter how I sit, I can’t get comfortable. So who knows?!

My final verdict is…

It’s hard to find a small, light road saddle that’s actually comfortable. This one is quite light and looks good, but it’s not overly uncomfortable.

It’s more comfortable than some other minimalist saddles I’ve tried, although it’s hard for me to use the word “comfortable” to describe this saddle!

Could it work for you? Maybe. Saddle choice is very personal. But I’ll tell you what - if you like the bigger, softer WTB saddles, that does NOT mean that you’ll like this one!

I guess it’s a 50/50 chance whether you’ll like this one.

Official website: www.wtb.com

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

Whenever I get a new air pump, or borrow someone’s, the built-in gauge is never the same. Sometimes it is close, but when I got a pump that read 20 psi when my tires were rock solid, I knew I needed more consistent readings!

But not only did I want consistent readings, I wanted super accurate readings on a digital display (not one of those $1 analog gauges.) So I got a Planet Bike Airmate digital air gauge, which measures tire pressure and does it well.

This $20 tool will read air pressure on both Presta and Schrader valves, so it should work on all your bikes and cars. It will take readings in PSI, BAR, kg/cm2, and kPa, and with the digital display, it will give you the exact pressure.

The air release button allows you to release air in a controlled fashion, in case the tires are overinflated.

There is even a little LED light built in, so that you can use this in the dark. It is just bright enough to be useful, and the light does illuminate the display slightly, so it’s possible to use this in the dark.

Putting the Airmate to Work

To start, just press one of the buttons until the device reads “on” and then gives you the “0.0″ screen. Then press the gauge firmly onto the tire’s valve.

The gauge will beep twice, and then the pressure will be displayed. It’s extremely fast once you get used to it. At this point you can remove the gauge from the valve. (The pressure reading will remain on screen. It won’t vanish as soon as you remove the gauge, which happens with most analog gauges.)

You can also use the air release button if you wish (before removing the gauge.) Press it in slightly and you’ll hear the air escaping. To recheck the pressure, though, you’ll have to reset the display and start over.

It would be neat to get a “live” pressure reading when using the air release button, so you know exactly when to stop. Having to reset the gauge could get kind of annoying if you need to achieve an exact pressure, but in my use, it never bothered me.

(Realistically speaking, how often do you need to get exactly 93.8 PSI in your tire?)

On the bright side, if you have a bad memory, it’s nice that this gauge keeps the reading on the screen for you.

I found one drawback with this though… the battery life.

The Airmate’s battery life is terrible. After having the thing a little less than one year and only using it occasionally (never even needing the light,) the battery died! And this is the same type of battery I use in my cyclocomputers that get used daily, but still yield a three year battery life!

My final verdict is…

This is a good tool that’s worth the money if you can afford it. It’s not totally necessary though. (Like if you still need to buy tire levers, a mini tool, etc, this one can wait.)

But it’s great to see how accurate your pump’s built-in gauge is, and this gives you a standard pressure reading no matter what pump you are using. And I use it all the time to check my car tires (low pressure equals bad gas mileage!) So yeah, it’s a good tool, and I highly recommend it if you need an air gauge.

Official website: www.planetbike.com

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

After eating numerous boxes of Kashi TLC cereal and crackers, plus the GO LEAN cereal, and even some TLC granola bars, I missed out on the Kashi GO LEAN bars. I finally grabbed a few last week, though.

As with virtually all the Kashi products I’ve had, these did not disappoint! This GO LEAN crunchy bar, packed with protein and fiber, had a pleasing taste and texture. Just what I’d expect from Kashi.

Now let’s take a closer look at this “Chocolate Peanut” concoction…

We might as well get the boring stuff out of the way first, so here’s a look at the ingredients for those of you who (like me) like to read every single one:

Brown Rice Syrup, Soy Protein Isolate, Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Crystalline Fructose, Oat Fiber, Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame® Blend (Stone Ground Whole: Hard Red Winter Wheat, Oats, Rye, Barley, Triticale, Long Grain Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Sesame Seeds), Peanuts, Rice Flour, Natural Peanut Butter, Mechanically Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Corn Grits, Rice Starch, Brown Rice Flour, Wheat Bran, Chicory Root Fiber, Vegetable Glycerin, Cocoa, Nonfat Milk, Corn Bran, Salt, Chocolate Liquor, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavors, Magnesium Oxide, Soy Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Fumarate (Iron), Annatto (Color), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid and Vitamin B12.

Those all-natural ingredients add up to a healthy bar with lots of fiber and protein (but not too much.) Along with the 180 calories in each bar, you also get 5g fat, 9g protein, 6g fiber, and 30g carbohydrates.

The fat, protein, and fiber content is a tad high for use during intense cycling (and the carb count is a tad low,) but it’s a good bar for a snack or maybe as a pre-ride meal. I say that because this bar has a new formula that was reformulated for “optimized glycemic response.” That means it’s low on the Glycemic Index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar too much, making it safe to eat while you’re not working out.

But would you want to eat it? I say “yes.”

This GO LEAN bar is a big square, full of rice crisps, bits of peanut butter, and small chocolate chunks. It tastes kind of like a Rice Krispies square, but it’s crunchier and offers more flavors.

So it is “Crunchy,” but it’s not hard like their TLC granola bars. I call it “soft and crunchy.” It’s actually chewy and crunchy, if you can imagine that. Basically it’s like a chewy granola bar with more crunchy stuff in it.

The only minor problem is how the chocolate coating on the bottom will melt and get nasty if you carry this in a jersey pocket while cycling. However, there was not enough chocolate on there that it was truly bothersome. (Tip: place the bar in your jersey pocket so the chocolate side faces away from your body, which will help stop it from melting.)

Kashi GO LEAN Bar - While Riding

I did a 65 mile road ride the other day, and I carried two of these bars plus an oatmeal raisin Peak Bar. I ate a GO LEAN bar first, and later I had the Peak bar.

I must say, the Peak Bar was way better! It had a better taste and texture, and it’s softer so it was easier to chew while riding. Afterwards, I didn’t even bother to eat the second Kashi bar.

So this isn’t something I plan to carry while riding.

My final verdict is…

The Kashi GO LEAN crunchy bar tastes good, uses healthy ingredients, and is packed with protein and fiber. It’s a good choice for a quick “on the go” snack, and it’s not too bad for eating while riding, but I’d only recommend this as a healthy snack.

Since it’s good and healthy I’ll certainly eat them on occasion, although I’ll probably stick with other bars for my on-bike food needs.

Official website: kashi.com (the Kashi GO LEAN crunchy bar)

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

Want an energy drink that works for you? I’m pretty sure that’s the premise behind all energy drinks (which energy drinks ask you to work for them?) but Function Drinks go by the motto, “Function: Make your drink work for you.”

Developed by physicians* and based on proven science, these drinks are supposed to help you function in a certain way. For example, the “Vacation” drink contains ingredients to make you feel happy, like if you were on a vacation. The others are named in the same fashion, and promise benefits from lighter weight to younger looking skin.

*By reading the website, I’d say these are helpful physicians, as opposed to the type that just like to prescribe prescription drugs so they can get bonuses from the big pharmaceutical companies.

While somewhat gimmicky, I do think these drinks have some health benefits, so they’re worth a look (especially if you need an alternative to a drink such as Mountain Dew or Red Bull.)

Today I will be testing the Vacation, Youth Trip, and Light Weight versions from Function. Each one contains a mix of healthy ingredients, vitamins, and minerals, with just one exception…

The Light Weight formula aimed at dieters contains sucralose to cut calories to 5 per serving (10 per bottle.) I do not recommend artificial sweeteners. The other formulas are 50 calories per serving (100 per bottle) and use natural cane sugar, which I can recommend.

Taste Tests

Since it sucks to drink healthy stuff if it tastes bad, let’s see how these drinks taste…

Vacation (Pacific Coconut)

Vacation has a very sweet coconut flavor, and the texture makes me think of coconut milk (since this is a milk/water mixture.) I really liked it at first, and I still liked it after drinking a couple bottles!

Active ingredients consist of the green tea-derived polyphenol L-theanine (which reduces mental and physical signs of stress and anxiety) and a plant-derived amino acid called 5-HTP (which helps your brain to full replenish healthy stores of serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for mood.)

I would say I felt slightly better after drinking it. Nothing crazy though. It’s not like I was instantly transported to a stress-free beach vacation, but it sure didn’t make me feel worse!

Vacation contains 50 calories per serving, which isn’t bad, especially since it uses “natural evaporated cane sugar” as the sweetener, which is cool. Cooler still is how you get 100mg of Magnesium per serving - that’s 25% DV. (So one bottle of this gives you 50% DV for Magnesium.) And… 20% DV for Zinc in each serving.

Overall I think it tastes great, although the flavor is probably hit or miss, as some people could be turned off by the milk/water mixture.

Light Weight (Dragonfruit)

This definitely tastes like Dragonfruit, or at least what I’m used to dragonfruit drinks tasting like. The flavor was good at first, but there was a hint of artificial sweetener. That’s too bad, because dragonfruit is good stuff when paired with real cane sugar.

Instead, this uses sucralose to cut calories to 5 per serving. I guess they would have to do that to compete with Propel, G2, Lifewater, low cal FRS, and any other “fitness water” type drinks for dieters. (All of which I dislike.)

As you may have noticed, I don’t like artificial sweeteners, but I drank this anyway to test it out. That first sip had the great dragonfruit taste, but after that, it wasn’t very good. And the more I drank, the more I tasted the artificial sweetener tinge. I’d rate this somewhere between “not good” and “bad.”

The other ingredients are logical though. EGCG is a grean tea extract proven to increase calories burned per hour and promote lean body mass. Gymnema extract limits the absorption of calories your body takes in from fat and carbohydrates. And red wine extract resveratrol amps up your energy production, increasing your total calorie burn.

Youth Trip (Acai Grape)

Acai berries are awesome, so I couldn’t pass up an acai grape flavor. This one smells great, and I could really smell the acai.

The first few sips were awesome. There’s definitely an acai taste, with hints of a ‘grape Kool Aid type’ grape flavor. It was pretty good overall, although after drinking half a serving (4 oz) I really wasn’t into it anymore. For some reason the flavor got old pretty quick.

But again, the natural ingredients look good. Function uses an all-natural combo of anti-oxidants, including grape seed extract and rutin (from buckwheat), which has been scientifically proven to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, and to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

(I guess some people will try anything to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, which seems to be all the rage these days.)

My final verdict is…

I like the premise behind these drinks, especially because they follow through with fairly healthy, natural ingredients.

As for taste, I enjoyed the Vacation’s coconut texture and flavor and would gladly keep drinking it. I would avoid the Light Weight though, because the artificial sweetener taste and aftertaste is unappealing, and the Youth Trip was alright, but not something I’ll be going back for.

In the end, the Vacation (coconut) gets my recommendation for something cool to try, while the rest of the drinks fall into my “yet another energy drink” bin.

Official website: www.functiondrinks.com

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]